News Media Assistance Program (News MAP)

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We're seeking your feedback to help guide how government supports public interest journalism and media diversity in Australia.

Why we want your input

The department is seeking your views on the development of a principled and evidence-based Policy Framework under the News MAP. The Policy Framework will guide the implementation of measures supporting public interest journalism and media diversity in Australia.

All interested stakeholders across news media, digital platforms, academia and the wider community are encouraged to make a submission.

How you can voice your opinion

You can provide your input to the News MAP by uploading your submission using the ‘Have your say’ button or emailing us at news.journalism@communications.gov.au.

Please refer to the questions contained in the consultation paper as a guide for your response and feel free to discuss other matters relevant to the issues raised.

What will be the outcome of this consultation?

Your submission will help inform the design of the News MAP Policy Framework, which will guide the implementation of new measures in future to support public interest journalism and media diversity.

The Issue

A diverse and sustainable news media sector, producing quality news and journalism, is critical to a well-functioning democracy and informed society.

However, the business models that once supported the production of quality, public interest news and journalism have been fundamentally disrupted by technological, social and economic change.

Australian Government responses to these disruptions to date have predominantly focussed on short-term support through external shocks and the government has recognised the need to recalibrate its role.

The News MAP is a program of work to establish a robust evidence base and clear principles to guide future policy interventions that support public interest journalism and safeguard media diversity.

The consultation paper is structured in 3 parts. Part 1 discusses the framework and objectives, part 2 discusses potential support measures and part 3 discusses the evidence base.

There will be a number of opportunities to contribute to the development of the News MAP in future.

Relevant documentation

Consultation Paper—News Media Assistance Program

Written submission can be uploaded using the 'Have your say' button or can be sent to news.journalism@communications.gov.au.

Visit the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP) webpage for general information.

Outcome

All public submissions—now available

On 12 December 2023, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts opened consultation on the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP). Submissions closed on 22 February 2024.

The public consultation on the News MAP has been an important opportunity for the news media sector and the wider Australian community to have their say on how the government supports public interest journalism and media diversity in Australia. The department will use these submissions as well as views heard from stakeholders in roundtables and bilateral meetings to inform development of the News MAP.

Submissions made on the News Media Assistance Program consultation paper are published below. All submissions were reviewed to ensure that the privacy of submitters is respected, those that indicated they wanted to remain in-confidence have not been published.

The Department is not responsible for the content of these submissions, which remains the responsibility of the original authors and do not represent the views of the Department. To the extent permitted by law, the Commonwealth disclaims liability to any person or organisation in respect of anything else done, or omitted to be done, in reliance upon information contained in any of the submissions.

If you are having trouble accessing the information contained within these public submissions or have any questions, please send an email to news.journalism@infrastructure.gov.au.

Participate

12 Dec 2023 16:00 AEDT

22 Feb 2024 23:59 AEDT

Closed

Australian Privacy Principle 5 Notice

News Media Assistance Program (News MAP)

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (the department) is collecting information for the purposes of the News Media Assistance Program, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.

The department will use this information to inform the News Media Assistance Program and will store this information securely. It may be used by the department to make further contact with you about the News Media Assistance Program.

The department will not disclose information to third parties, except in the circumstances outlined below.

Submissions, in part or full, including the name of the author may be published on the department's website unless the submission is confidential. Confidential submissions (including the author's name) will not be published. Private addresses and contact details will not be published or disclosed to any third parties unless required by law.

Submissions will only be treated as confidential if they are expressly stated to be confidential. Automatically generated confidentiality statements or disclaimers appended to an email do not suffice for this purpose. If you wish you make a confidential submission, you should indicate this by ensuring your submission is marked confidential.

Confidential submissions will be kept securely and will only be disclosed in the following circumstances:

in response to a request by a Commonwealth Minister
where required by a House or a Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia
where required by law.

The department may also disclose confidential submissions within the Commonwealth of Australia, including with other Commonwealth agencies, where necessary in the public interest.

Please note that in order to protect the personal privacy of individuals in accordance with the Privacy Act any submissions containing sensitive information, personal information or information which may reasonably be used to identify a person or group of people may not be published, even if not marked as confidential.

The department's privacy policy contains information regarding complaint handling processes and how to access and/or seek correction of personal information held by the department. The Privacy Officer can be contacted by email: privacy@infrastructure.gov.au.

Submissions

The following submissions have been created by third parties and may not meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 requirements. For accessible copies, please email the department, news.journalism@communications.gov.au.

This consultation is closed.